My Mum's Modest Zebra Wishlist

[beej]

Zebra features wishlist

After working with Zebra for a while - (and to be honest it's already got the core stuff right even without anything else added) - my mum asked for the following features for future versions to make a great thing, er, more greater, like!

"The Ones That Are Easyish"

- copy/paste module settings between compatible modules
- load/save arpeggiator templates
- bigger/expandable mod matrix (probably up to 10 slots would be fine for me)
- 8 envelopes or more
- better MSEG/waveform editing features, including step MSEG mode (like Z1.5 had)
- patch browsers with collapsable folders & move/copy/rename
- mark patches as "favourites" to have them be displayed in reserved favourites folder/browser
- folder organisation in template browsers (currently only the contents of a single folder is displayed)
- poly/mono/legato settings on a per oscillator basis
- voice limit (specify eg 6 notes of polphony, with 1 note being however many voices are required to play one note in the current module config)
- some quick randomisation functionality for waveforms, MSEGs, oscillator FX, filter settings and so on.
- Option to ignore FX settings or only load FX settings when selecting patches in the browser

"The Ones That Are Hardish"

- sampling playback oscillators (short wavetables, not necessarily large multisamples etc), together with interesting oscillator FX such as granular stuff etc
- single-cycle resampling
- multiple outputs (surround synths!

"The Ones For Extra Credit"

- audio in via sidechain module
- arpeggiator settings on a per oscillator basis
- multiple XY snapshots in a patch
- comments saved/displayed with patch
- parse midifiles into the arpeggiator
- the ability to extend the gui vertically for more "rack" space and less scrolling

Also, I noticed a bug recently where inserting a couple of modules in the effects grid killed the delay module. I'll try and see if I can reproduce it. One of them had a VCF5 after a delay, and two of the filter modes killed the delay repeats, whereas the rest were fine...

So come on Urs, don't let me mum down...

[kodama]

For me, I think Zebra mostly needs more time-saving/ease of use features as soon as possible, as in like a 2.2 version.

If you look at a synth like FF Twin or Microtonic, for example, you can easily & quickly load & save presets for pretty much every module (oscs/envelopes/lfos, etc...).

I just think dropping in modules, the right clicking them to pull up or save presets for each one would be wicked fast & helpful in creating awesome patches in no time!

Also, I think that being able to enter a numeric value when you click on a parameter can be a very pratical time saving and ergonomic feature that I miss in Zebra.



The rest of this is just for major future versions :

- Stuff from Triple Cheese

- Audio Input that can be Rm/Fm run through filters, etc...

- To be able to load small cyclic samples

- I like the feature of the evolver (and a few other synths) where you can have the step sequencer go one step for each note on...

- Midi Learn by channel

- Midi channel per osc option (in addition to the key ranges already present)

- SVF Filters

- More (harsher?) shaper types (think Metasonix Wretch Machine!)

- Midi learn for some common controls like arp speed, etc..

- More snappy envelope repeat options with more speed control

- Multiple outputs

- More mod matrix slots

- Maybe have fx inline so you can route a delay before a filter, etc...

- Perhaps recording modulation to msegs?

- Improved repeat envelopes (like Ableton Operator/Sampler)

[pdxindy]

particularly with the higher cpu of the XMF filter, 4,8,16 voices is not enough control.

2,3,4,6,8,12,16


copy/paste/save of module settings.

right click on an osc (or comb, fmo, noise etc) and have an option to duplicate including all mod routing

some mseg options
like being able to control an mseg like the user setting on the lfo for steps, but also being able to edit it normally as desired too...

I would like it if I drag a step up that it auto creates points as needed. then when switching to normal mode, I can give a bit of curve to the step.

Also, some user customizable preset curves (between two points on the mseg) so I can select a group of points and apply the curve following the point. For example, when using the mseg as steps, and very short steep curve instead of exactly vertical avoids clicks but it is a pain to adjust them point by point

More comb types!

2 more envelopes and mseg's

bigger mod matrix

good saturation module (or added to shaper)



big bonuses!

I'd like to have an option which looks at the arpeggiator and creates an mseg to match it (minus the polyphonic aspect obviously)

audio in is a dream

[replicator]

I dont hope Urs read this topic while he is on holiday

Most of the stuff I was thinking of is already covered but here are maybe, and hopefully not some duplicating suggestions:

Global/FX

- Mono and, Unison mode with adjustable amount of voices in a Polyphony menu.

- More effects, formant - vocoding, delays, single flanger.

- Voice Tuning Table, update for selection of some custom tuning tables.

- Glissando.

Arpeggiator:

- Midi learn in ArpMod.

- Already mentioned, but it would be a great addition with arpeggiator settings on a per
oscillator basis.

- Maybe overkill, and against Urs philosofy that everything shall be visual on 1 page.
One more duplicated arpeggiator with the possibility to choose which oscillator to trig.

- This is possible difficult, but. Arpeggiator sends signals to midi out to control other plugins, or instruments.

Oscillators:

- X/Y Grid in the Waveform selector with a zero value in middle, and positive or negative
values around zero which changes when moving mouse pointer. X/Y value can be set with
mouse pointer, point can be dragged holding shift when moving mouse and the value changes.

- Support for single cycle waveforms with more samples then 128, eg. 256, 512 or 1024 for
making more "complex" waveforms. If not much more "complexed", it gives an option to
import the most typical cycle sizes made by other people.

- Template waveforms which can be loaded in the waveform selector. Maybe 16 waveforms
for a start with the classic, sine, saw, triangle, pulse, and some combinations, upward
saw, downsaw, inverted sine, saw triangle and so on.

- Midi learn in the 16 wave slots. So you can trig different waveforms with midi.
E.g arpeggiated waveforms d:

- Maybe 32 wave slots instead of 16.

- Morph utility between waveform slots in steps, synced to tempo and triggered by midi, note strucked. A good addition to LFO.

Filters:

- 18db 2-pole lowpass resonant filter for those aggressive TB-303 sounds.

- Maybe one more 24db filter 4 pole, and a 12db 2 pole like the Roland Jupiters.

- 36db 4-pole lowpass filter

Scripts:

More scripts that users can load for a start.


Best regards

Replicator

[steff3]

>> multiple outputs (surround synths!

I am all for that

[replicator]

Forgot something:

- Cross modulation in the Oscillator section. Where each Oscillator allows the pitch to be changed with the output of another Oscillator, rotation knob from zero cross modulation
to max cross modulation.

- Each Oscillator can be put in low frequency range.

Cheers

Replicator

[luCiPHer]

Ok, some ideas... (i repeat some already in this thread, that means they are important, doesn't it? )

- if you add multiple outputs (good thing) don't go all surround on us without keeping everything stereo compatible, imo it's enough to add multiple outputs, we can position them ourselves if we have a surround setup.

- arp assignable to osc's, not just the whole patch, and maybe even multiple arps, yes, one key songs are fun

- XY snapshots, yup

- some way to unclick modulated effects in the effects matrix, velocity modulated shapers etc are rather hard to use in the effects part of zebra.

- more comb types, some really nasty and really softish ones.

- feedback never used the old zebras (pc here), but wasn't it possible to feed the signal in circles there? so you should know how to do it

- bigger mod-matrix.

- free running and FAST lfo's.

- a comments field, zebra is quite complex you know

- better patch browser, i don't want you to copy anything, but NI's kore browser IS nice

- legato as an osc-option, not just global.

- audio in is a no-brainer.

- change the scaling of some knobs, fm for example, of cutoff modulation, are VERY sensitive and most patches use maybe the first 3% of the knob range, if these knobs weren't linear it would be easier to get the sound one desires.

- more osc-fx, whatever you can think of, still one of zebras best features

- rework the volume of some modules, some filtertypes (the vintage ones for example) are very quiet comopared to stuff like xmf.

- easier to use mseg's, like snapping to notes when you want to modulate pitch.

- some ui-stuff, especially an animated wavedisplay, with that red waveform moving when the wave is modulated, should be possible to shut such fancy stuff off of course.

- the possibility to modulate the phase of oscs with audio input. amplitude modulation at audio rate is nice as well.

- and last but not least: the unevitable random note on modulation, just generates a random number, to add a little randomness to patches without using random lfo's.


that's it for now, i may come back later

[Howard]

Hmmm. Quite a lot of "more of this, more of that" in this wishlist.
So I'll start with the following (now where's that "devil's head" emoticon?)

1) Fewer patching rows, 10 is more than enough
2) Fewer "vintage" filter models, some are superfluous.
3) Fewer osc effects (ditto)
4) Fewer presets (ditto)
5) Fewer FM modes (ditto)
6) Make XMF overload quieter
7-77) No randomization, glissando, additional envelopes/LFOs/MSEGs etc. etc..

So, that should put the cat among the pigeons OK - I'll send my more positive wishlist later.

[pdxindy]

Hmmm. Quite a lot of "more of this, more of that" in this wishlist.
So I'll start with the following (now where's that "devil's head" emoticon?)

1) Fewer patching rows, 10 is more than enough
2) Fewer "vintage" filter models, some are superfluous.
3) Fewer osc effects (ditto)
4) Fewer presets (ditto)
5) Fewer FM modes (ditto)
6) Make XMF overload quieter
7-77) No randomization, glissando, additional envelopes/LFOs/MSEGs etc. etc..

So, that should put the cat among the pigeons OK - I'll send my more positive wishlist later.

1) 10 would be fine, but please do not reduce the 6 in effects
2) there are only 2 vintage filter models, you mean getting rid of one of them?
3) which osc effects would you get rid of?
4) you mean refine the factory presets down to a smaller number?
5) *i admit I have not even tried the different fmo modes yet*
6) you mean so it does not increase the volume as much as it does? or a quieter character?
7-77) I'd be fine with that even though i mentioned 2 more msegs because when all such requests get put together, you are right that it is too much

[replicator]

Hmmm. Quite a lot of "more of this, more of that" in this wishlist.
So I'll start with the following (now where's that "devil's head" emoticon?)

1) Fewer patching rows, 10 is more than enough
2) Fewer "vintage" filter models, some are superfluous.
3) Fewer osc effects (ditto)
4) Fewer presets (ditto)
5) Fewer FM modes (ditto)
6) Make XMF overload quieter
7-77) No randomization, glissando, additional envelopes/LFOs/MSEGs etc. etc..

So, that should put the cat among the pigeons OK - I'll send my more positive wishlist later.

You must be more positive Howard

2) I love filters and hope Urs will add some vintage ones.
4) I dont believe Howard will stop making exellent presets even if some of the suggestions in the long wish list is added in a new zebraxx
6) I can agree that the XMF filters sounds load, but overdriven filters can be fun to play with.
7-77) Can agree with you, but 2 more Msegs and envelopes could be fun. And there should be 2 Lfo's in ModFX which can be run dual mode, one slow and one fast for phasing effects.

I must admit that I was going through a stage when I started to play with Zebra:



but, Zebra is a modular synth with a very good layout so the wild Zebra has been much nicer after I have played with it for a while. I hope Urs will add many of the suggestions in the users wish list because I like wild animals

[Xnah]

I liked the U-He style preset-browser, but I love the new NI style preset-browser even more, allowing additional keywords for each preset...

[beej]

Yeah I can just picture the scene:

Urs: "Tas - good news. I've implemented patch keyword browsing..."
Tas: "Noooooooo!"
Urs: "I'm afraid so, yes..."
Tas: "Not *all* 1800 patches..?!!"
Urs: "They gotta be done..."
Tas: <faints>

[Xnah]

Yeah I can just picture the scene:

Urs: "Tas - good news. I've implemented patch keyword browsing..."
Tas: "Noooooooo!"
Urs: "I'm afraid so, yes..."
Tas: "Not *all* 1800 patches..?!!"
Urs: "They gotta be done..."
Tas: <faints>

When I bought Zebra I was interested in sound design as well, but in the course of last year I mostly evolved into a preset user, although I might tweak a bit here and there... And there are indeed sooooo many presets. Fortunately they load fast enough to make browsing presets feasible and fun.

[pdxindy]

Yeah I can just picture the scene:

Urs: "Tas - good news. I've implemented patch keyword browsing..."
Tas: "Noooooooo!"
Urs: "I'm afraid so, yes..."
Tas: "Not *all* 1800 patches..?!!"
Urs: "They gotta be done..."
Tas: <faints>

he he he

I don't even like the NI style keyword browser. I go to a category, then start trying presets, go to another one and end up trying the same presets.

And the words I use to describe a preset one day, are not the words I use a week later, or the words that someone else uses. I hope no time is spent implementing this.

ps - you owe me tas!

[tasmaniandevil]

I don't even like the NI style keyword browser. I go to a category, then start trying presets, go to another one and end up trying the same presets.

And the words I use to describe a preset one day, are not the words I use a week later, or the words that someone else uses. I hope no time is spent implementing this.

ps - you owe me tas!

Phew, yes I do!

Otherwise the conversation would probably have ended like this:

Tas: "Not *all* 1800 patches..?!!"
Urs: "They gotta be done..."

Tas: -last seen quitting his job, screaming and running away as far as he could breaking down at the end of the street because of exhaustion and heart failure-

Cheers,
tas